[Plenary Session 1] Dealing with a Nuclear North Korea

Choi Kang, Korea National Diplomatic Academy
Endo Tetsuya, Japan Institute of International Affairs
Robert Gallucci, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Vasily Mikheev, Institute for World Economy and International Relations
Yang Yi, National Defense University

1. There is consensus that North Korea`s recent actions are unacceptable and threaten regional peace and security as well as the viability of the nonproliferation regime. However, there is significant divergence among the five parties over what North Korea`s true nuclear intentions are and how to approach the problem.

2. Vasily Mikheev argued that we should not talk about how to deal with a nuclear North Korea, but how to disarm it.

3. Yang Yi stressed the need to engage and focus on dialogue with the North, notably via the Six-Party Talks.

4. Choi Kang, Robert Gallucci, and Endo Tetsuya emphasized the need to focus on denuclearization while stressing the importance of near-term robust management of the North Korea nuclear threat.

5. All three saw the possibility for engagement, but were not optimistic that the North would be willing to negotiate away its nuclear and missile programs.

6. Hahm Chaibong suggested that the five powers needed to work toward a coherent understanding of the North Korean nuclear problem to be able to produce consistent policies in the future.